'Suspicious' death: Burned body found in Pasco motel room

Share this story

PASCO, Wash. -- A partially-burned body was found by a maid who went to clean a room Tuesday morning at the Tahitian Inn, police said.

KEPR learned Pasco police were waiting on Washington State CSI investigators. Officers said the crime scene at this motel is too complex for them to handle on their own.

The call began with a report of a fire at the motel. A maid smelled something and called a maintenance worker for help. They called for firefighters and then stumbled onto human remains in one of the rooms.

People who live in the in the complex were stunned.

James Patton has lived in the east Pasco motel with his wife for a few years. He showed Action News how he locks his door at night.

Fearing for their safety, the couple said they'll now find a new place to live.

Hours after the discovery police were still saying very little about what happened here.

KEPR learned the body was half-burned and the room ransacked. The mattress and furniture tossed around the room.

"It's very suspicious," said Pasco police Capt. Jim Raymond. "There's been some sort of fire in there, individual deceased, that's really what we know right now."

Detectives went door-to-door questioning neighbors at the motel near the Blue Bridge trying to gather even the smallest detail - relying on what they may have seen to point them in the right direction.

"What I told the officer or the lead detective is when they were over there, watch the tape because they have the video up there and there was this SUV that came in three times yesterday," Patton said.

Still, everyone I talked to said, they didn't know much about the person staying in room 110.One person told me that they spoke to a man staying in the room Monday -- he asked them for a few bucks to buy a beer.

And now Room 110 is an active crime scene in what police call a homicide.

The Franklin County Coroner has removed the body.

Once the next-of-kin is notified a name could be released. An autopsy will be performed after that.

Grand Opening for Forte Studios in Kennewick WA. A Studio for Photographers to have access to a fully stocked photo studio without the cost of owing their own studio. Great for amateur and professionals looking for a great place to produce some great photos.